Much has been said and written about the potential risks involved in the House impeaching President Trump when it appears that (at least today) there is little possibility the Senate will come up with the votes for conviction. It is true, if the President is not removed from office, he will emerge strengthened, with his enemies in disarray and discredited and his followers vindicated and vengeful. If the trial occurs before the election, it will guarantee his winning in 2020. If after, it will give a lame duck and emboldened President carte blanche to do anything he wants. Who will be left or able to oppose him?

Tragically, this may all be true. But the fact remains, impeachment is the only constitutional and peaceful way to remove this man from office. The 25th Amendment will never be implemented if impeachment is ruled out. Why should his hand-picked cabinet remove him if his enemies cannot? Besides, the failure of the Democratic Party to muster up the courage to do its duty will destroy any credibility it may have among Progressives. It, and the opposition to Trump and his faction, will become irrelevant. And I have no doubt that the forces of fascism will be eager and enabled to initiate their reprisals and extract their vengeance. Who will be left to stop them?

But there is another factor we have not considered yet. Sooner or later, by one means or another, Trumpism will be defeated. When that day comes, we will need a means of identifying those responsible for this horror, those who allowed it to happen, enabled it to act with impunity and who frustrated the heroes who tried to stop it. It will also be a record of those who recognized this evil, but lacked the courage to try and put an end to it. The roll call of that Senate election will be the first place to look.